Slow Cooker Recipe for Skinny Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

(this is an updated post from May 2012)
The most popular recipe on my site is the Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup. Although it tastes extremely awesome, it’s probably not the healthiest soup on the planet (butter, cream, cheese…). I’ve received many requests to lighten that soup up. That’s where this recipe comes in. I lightened it up by using more veggies and less butter. I also used skim milk in place of heavy cream. With only 150 calories per serving you’ll be surprised at how yummy it tastes! Use an immersion blender if you’d rather have a smooth consistency or leave it chunky if you like it that way. It’s up to you. Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings

Ideal slow cooker size: 6 quart

Cooking time: 5-7 hours

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced onion

1 cup grated zucchini or grated carrots (or both)

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp dried basil

4 cups water

2 tsp Shirley J chicken bouillon or 4 tsp regular chicken bouillon granules (If you’re vegetarian you can substitute vegetable broth in place of the water and bouillon)

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, or until vegetables are tender.

3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add in about half the flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 2-3 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Whisk and slowly add in the rest of the flour. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. (If you want, you can use an immersion blender to make everything smooth and creamy)

4. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed milk, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

We don’t like carrots very much so we leave that out. I add a can of corn and a couple of cut up chicken breasts. We use reduced fat milk instead of half and half. This is one of our favorite meals and meets all the health requirements of my husband’s diet!

You know I'm not exactly sure on that. When I made the recipe I calculated how much it would be for all of it and divided by 8. So I guess 1/8 of what it makes. That's not much help is it? I'll have to be more exact next time.

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Hi! I'm Karen

I know that dinner time can
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